Toronto, Jan. 1: Kader Khan, best known for penning some of the most powerful dialogues and his comic timing as an actor, passed away on December 31 due to prolonged illness. He was 81.

Khan was admitted to a hospital in Canada and his son Sarfaraz confirmed that the actor died on Monday.

“My dad has left us. He passed away on December 31 at 6 pm as per Canadian time due to prolonged illness. He slipped into coma in the afternoon. He was in the hospital for 16-17 weeks,” Sarfaraz told PTI.

He also said the last rites of the veteran actor would be performed in Canada.

“The last rites will be performed here in Canada only. We have our entire family here and we live here so we are doing it. We are thankful to everyone for their blessings and prayers,” he added.

The news of the death of the actor-screenwriter, who was at his peak in the 1980s-90s, comes a day after his son dismissed media reports of his demise.

Khan had developed breathing issues and the doctors had reportedly transferred him from regular ventilator to BiPAP ventilator.

As per reports, he was suffering from Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, a degenerative disease that causes loss of balance, difficulty in walking and dementia.

Born in Kabul, Khan made his acting debut in 1973 with Rajesh Khanna’s ‘Daag’ and has featured in over 300 films.

He wrote dialogues for over 250 movies. Before becoming an actor he had written dialogues for Randhir Kapoor-Jaya Bachchan’s ‘Jawani Diwani’.

As a screenwriter, Khan frequently collaborated with Manmohan Desai and Prakash Mehra.

“A writer of eminence; in most of my very successful films. A delightful company and a mathematician,” Bachchan wrote.

The duo worked together on blockbusters such as ‘Do Aur Do Paanch’, ‘Muqaddar Ka Sikandar’, ‘Mr Natwarlal’, ‘Suhaag’, ‘Coolie’ and ‘Shahenshah’.

“Rest in peace Kader Khan saheb,” Bajpayee tweeted.

Union minister Smriti Irani credited Khan for giving the audiences some of the best funny moments.

“If you were a late 80s-90s kid who watched Hindi films, chances are you encountered the magic of Kader Khan. Never had the privilege of meeting him but if I ever had I would say ‘thank you for the laughter, thank you for your craft’,” she tweeted.

Calling him one of the finest actors of India, Kher said Khan would be missed for his brilliance.

“Kader Khan Saab was one of the finest actors of our country. It was a joy and a learning experience to be on the sets with him. His improvisational skills were phenomenal. His humour was eternal and original. He was a wonderful writer. We will miss him and his brilliance,” he wrote.

“An actor and a writer who defined a generation...You’ve left a void in the industry that cannot be filled...RIP Kader Khan...My heartfelt prayers to his family,” Arjun tweeted.

Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar said, “Sad to hear the demise of the versatile writer, actor, comedian Kader Khan. He made us laugh and cry at the same time. He entertained us with his punchful dialogues. God bless his soul RIP Sir.”

Director Anees Bazmee tweeted, “Saddened to hear about #KaderKhan. Had the privilege to work with him as a writer in Aankhen, Raja Babu, Shola Aur Shabnam, Bol Radha Bol, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi and direct him in my debut film Hulchul. RIP Kader Khan. You shall always be missed.”

Actor-comic Vir Das remembered Khan as one of the “few talents to straddle comedic and dramatic work so brilliantly for so long”.

Filmmaker Milap Zaveri said he had a huge regret that he never got an opportunity to work with the highly-regarded actor.

National Film Archive of India (NFAI) also paid tributes to the actor.

“We are deeply saddened by the demise of prominent actor-screenwriter #KaderKhan. Renowned for his effortless comic performances, he also wrote the striking dialogues for some of the most popular Hindi films like ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’, ‘Coolie’ and ‘Agneepath’,” a post on its official Twitter handle read. PTI

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